Odysseus and the Cyclops After 10 years of fighting against Troy , Odysseus, one of the victorious Greek leaders and known for his cleverness, sailed for home with his men and ships.ï¿½ After many adventures, they came to an island.ï¿½ Unbeknownst to them, the island was inhabited by the Cylops people, a race of giants with only one eye in the middle of their forehead. The Cylops were lawless, without culture, and ate humans when available.

The Story: On finding a large cave, Odysseus and his men entered the cave, where they helped themselves to the food and drink they found there, and fell asleep.ï¿½ After a time, a Cyclops, whose name was Polyphemus, returned to the cave.ï¿½ Leading his flock of giant sheep into the cave, he rolled a huge stone against the mouth of the cave to close the entrance.ï¿½ On finding Odysseus and his men in the cave, the Cyclops became enraged, grabbed two of the men, smashed their heads against the rocks, ate them, and fell asleep.ï¿½ Odysseus dared do nothing to the Cyclops, since only the Cyclops was strong enough to move the stone away from the mouth of the cave. The next morning, the Cyclops grabbed two more men, smashed their heads against the rocks, and ate them for his breakfast.ï¿½ He then rolled away the stone, led out his herd of sheep, and rolled the stone back to close the cave.ï¿½ Odysseus devised a plan.ï¿½ He and his men took a large timber, carved the end to a sharp point, and hid it.

When the Cyclops returned in the evening, he again led his sheep in, rolled the stone to close the mouth of the cave, and proceeded to bash in the heads of two more men and eat them.ï¿½ This time Odysseus spoke up, and offered the Cyclops some strong wine he had brought with him.ï¿½ Polyphemus, who had never drunk wine before, drank his fill and became very drunk.ï¿½ Thanking Odyssesus, Polyphemus asked him his name.ï¿½ Odysseus told him his name was ï¿½No manï¿½.ï¿½ The Cyclops then fell fast asleep in a drunken sleep.

Odysseus and his men then took the timber and heated the sharpened end in the fire until it glowed red.ï¿½ Then, with all their strength, they pushed the red-hot point into the eye of Polyphemus.ï¿½ The Cyclops howled and woke up flailing, but he was now blind.ï¿½ The other Cyclops who lived on the island came running, but when they asked Polyphemus who had done this to him, he replied ï¿½No man!ï¿½ and the other Cyclops all returned home laughing. Early the next morning, Odysseus tied each of his men to the belly of one of the giant sheep. When Polyphemus awoke and led the sheep out of the cave, he felt the back of each sheep to make sure no one was on them.ï¿½ Feeling nothing, Polyphemus allowed each sheep to pass out of the cave, carrying with it one of Odysseusï¿½ crew tied to its belly.ï¿½ Odysseus himself grabbed onto the fleece of the last sheepï¿½s belly, and escaped through the mouth of the cave.

Odysseus and his men ran back to their ship and hurriedlyï¿½ pushed out to sea.ï¿½ As they sailed away from the harbor, Odysseus called out to Polyphemus, laughing at him and telling him that it was not "No Man", but he, Odysseus, who had blinded him and fooled him. RockinTheOdyssey - The Cyclops The Cyclops Presented by Second Period Summary In the “Odyssey”, Odysseus and his crew have landed on an island. While on the island, Odysseus and his crew try to relax. They drink wine and ate. They hear a noise. Then the Cyclops , Polyphemus returned to the cave. He returned with sheep and boughs for his fire. He began to poke at the fire and saw Odysseus and his crew. He asked who they were. Odysseus , being the clever man he is-thanks to the goddess Athena- told the Cyclops they were Trojans blown of course from home. He told Polyphemus that he should treat his guests with xenia, or hospitality, with it being the custom to the Greeks.

Polyphemus says he does not abide by the rule. Odysseus said Zeus would punish Polyphemus for disobeying. Polyphemus asked where Odysseus ’ where his ship was, and Odysseus said that it was destroyed. The Cyclops did not reply, instead he snatched up two of the crew members, busted in their skulls, tore the limbs apart and ate them. He then lay to sleep. Odysseus goes to stab him in his liver, but stopped. He knew if he did that, they would never get out. The next day the Cyclops awoke, did his chores and ate two more men. Odysseus hoping to find away to hurt the Cyclops, Athena granted him with the answer. There was an olive branch. He used it to make a gigantic spear. The Cyclops returned and tended to his chores. He then feasted on two more men. Odysseus then gave the Cyclops wine, and while the Cyclops was drunk, he asked Odysseus his name. Odysseus said Nohbdy. When the Cyclops passed out, Odysseus and his men blinded him with the spear.

While blinded, the Cyclops called out for help. ‘Nohbdy, Nohbdy’s tricked me. Nohbdy’s ruined me!’ he had called. No one came to his aid. The Cyclops then became angry. He began reaching while the ram escaped. Odysseus and his men were tied to the rams bellies. When they reached the ship, Odysseus began to call out. He announced his name, his father, what he is known for and his home. The Cyclops lodged part of the hilltop at them. The Cyclops spoke of a wizard mentioning Odysseus blinding him. Polyphemus then called to Poseidon , his father, and cursing Odysseus. -meghanh PLOT ANALYSIS Odysseus and his man come near the land of Cyclops , they admire the island and look around the land. Odysseus and his man slept there for the night and when the morning came they ate on many goats. When they all woke up from there good resting, Odysseus told them that he wanted to investigate what and who loved on the island. They reached close to the cave and noticed its rough structure of rock.

At that point the Cyclops wasn’t in the cave he was out with his sheep. In the cave they found a bunch of cheese and lambs. The men eager to take all the good but Odysseus told them not to. They lit a fire near by and ate some of the cheese. All of a sudden they hear the Cyclops coming and they quickly hide. Soon Cyclops sees Odysseus and his men and starts questioning them, like who they are and were are they from. Odysseus is afraid to speak but still manages to speak to him. Odysseus tells Cyclops that he should treat his guest as how the Greeks do. Cyclops says that he doesn’t care what Zeus or anybody else had to say and that he does not fear them. Cyclops also asks them were they had hid there ship but with Odysseus cleverness he tells him that he had gotten destroyed on the way there. Than Cyclops grabs two of Odysseus men and smashes them into rocks and eats them piece by piece. The rest of the crew shockingly and scared just watch as it was being done.

Odysseus men wanted to kill him but Odysseus new better, he knew that if they kill the Cyclops than they would not be able to move the big stone in front of the entrance. Odysseus and his men had no other choice but to stay in the cave and wait till morning. In the morning Cyclopes leaves the cave and takes his sheep out the door closing the entrance with the big stone. In the progress Odysseus and his men make a spear from olive wood and sharpened it with fire. When Cyclops came back Odysseus offered Cyclopes for some wine and Cyclopes drinks it all. Odysseus manages to get Cyclopes drunk, ones he realizes that Cyclopes is completely out of it, he takes the chance to use the wooden spear and blind him with it. Cyclopes yells in anger and in pain and takes the spear out of his eye. Cyclops yells out “nobody’ tricked me, everyone listening thought that he was a fool, so they didn’t pay attention to what was being said or what had been done. Cyclops blocks the open door and stands in the way to stop the men from leaving.

Odysseus and his men thought of a way to get out by getting under the bellies of the sheep going out. Once they were out Odysseus yelled out his name and yelled out that it was him who blinded Cyclops. Characters ODYSSEUS: A clever, strong, prideful, handsome greek hero﻿ ﻿who had been captured by a one-eyed monster.Who was Poseidons ' son. Odysseus ' strength, courage, nobility, a thirst for glory, and confidence in his authority is shown when he is captured by the Cyclops. Odysseus tricks the Cyclops by pulling all these clever tricks on him and they seem to have worked out fine. The main meaning of trying to trick the Cyclops was because Odysseus wanted to defeat and but mainle to escape. The main trick of all that Odysseus pulled out on the Cyclops was by blinding him. Odysseus and his crew escaped safe and sound but only few of his crew seen the sight of freedom of the cave. POLYPHEMUS: Poseidon 's son. He is a one-eyed monster who is more prideful about who is.

He doesnt show xenia when he finds out that Odysseus and his crew is lingering around in his cave. He feasts on Odysseus' men for his dinner. He is easily tricked by Odysseus and that gets him blinded. After he is blinded, he curses Odysseus. He says that he does not want Odysseus to ever reach his home Ithaca. He prays to his father, Poseidon to give him trouble on the sea while he is sailing off. Odysseus Odysseus Odysseus was King of Ithica. He never really wanted to join the Trojan War. As one of Helen’s suitors, Odysseus was bound to the oath to defend her and Menelaus. Early in the courtship process, Odysseus had turned his attention to Helen’s cousin Penelope. He married Penelope, who had his first son Telemachus. When Menelaus came for him, Odysseus pretended to be insane. He was in the fields sowing crops pretending to be oblivious to life around him.

Palamedes saw though Odysseus’s deceit and placed his son, Telemachus, in the path of the plow. When Odysseus steered away from the baby, his fake insanity was exposed. Odysseus never really forgave Palamedes for unmasking his deception. During the war, Odysseus framed Palamedes as a spy, and the Greeks had him stoned to death. Odysseus was a brave warrior during the Trojan conflict. He came up with the idea of the wooden horse with the Greek warriors inside it. With the help of Athena, they were able to convince the Trojans to take the horse into the city. The Greeks defeated the Trojans and brought the ten-year war to a conclusion. For Odysseus, the end of the war was just the beginning of another chapter in his saga. From this point on, he attempted to return to his home and to Penelope, who waited faithfully for his return. It would be another ten years before Odysseus would set foot in Ithica again. Odysseus’s Journey Odysseus started out from Troy with twelve ships to return to Ithica in Greece.

He sacked the Ciconian city of Ismarus. His crews stayed too long and lost twelve to eighteen men on each ship when a large force of Ciconians descended on them. Winds drove him south to the coast of Libya. Three scouts were sent out from the ships, but they did not return so Odysseus set out after them. When he discovered their loaction, he found that they had eaten fruit that had made them forget about going back home. He dragged them back to the ship and continued on the journey. The ships came to another island where they discovered a cave with cheese and lambs. After having some of the food, Odysseus and his crew waited for the owner of the cave. They found the owner to be a Cyclops named Polyphemus, a son of Poseidon. Polyphemus shut the cave with a large rock, trapping Odysseus and the crew inside. When asked his name, Odysseus told Polyphemus that his name was “No bo dy”. Polyphemus decided to eat some of Odysseys’s men. Odysseus appealed to Polyphemus on the basis of the laws of hospitality and humanity.

Polyphemus did not recognize either and ate two of the men. The next day, Odysseus fed the Cyclops some wine, which made him fall asleep. Odysseus and his crew then took a large burning timber and blinded the Cyclops. After hearing his cries, Polyphemus’s brothers came running to the cave. Polyphemus yelled to his brothers through the stone door, “Nobody is killing me! Nobody has blinded me!” The brothers dismissed his cries and returned to their own caves. When Polyphemus opened the cave door to let the sheep out, Odysseus and his crew attached themselves to the undersides of the sheep and were able to escape detection. As they escaped the island, Odysseus taunted the Cyclops telling him his real name. Polyphemus prayed to his father Poseidon to revenge him. Poseidon then plagued Odysseus and his crew for the rest of their journey home. Odysseus’s ships came to an island where Aeolus, the god of the wind, dwelled. Aeolus was impressed with Odysseus, and he decided to help him.

Aeolus captured all of the winds except the west wind, and put them into a bag. He instructed Odysseus that if he did not open the bag, he would be able to get back home. Odysseus fell asleep just before they reached sight of Ithica. Just as they spotted land, his crew, curious about the bag, decided to open it. When they did, the wind escaped the bag and the ship was blown far away from Ithica once again. After rowing for days, the twelve ships came to a harbor with large cliffs. All the ships but Odysseus’s entered the harbor. Three scouts went out to search the land. They came upon a kind giantess, who led them to her father’s house, the king of the land. The king ate one of the men, and the other two escaped. The giants began to hurl rocks at the ships. All eleven ships in the harbor were sunk, and only Odysseus’s ship escaped. The men on the other eleven ships were speared by the giants and taken back to their village to be eaten. The lone ship now reached the island of Aeaea, where the sorceress Circe lived.

Half the crew searched the island and found Circe’s house. All the men but the ship’s first mate, Eurylochus, went inside for a feast. When they did not return in good time, Eurylochus returned to the ship for help. On the way to the house, Odysseus was paid a visit by Hermes, the messenger of the gods and helper of travelers in distress. Hermes gave Odysseus an herb that would make him immune to Circe’s spells. She had changed the rest of the crew into pigs. When they arrived at the house, Odysseus ate the food, but he did not change into a pig. He drew his sword and forced the sorceress to take an oath to do no harm to his crew. She changed them back to humans and they stayed with her and her nymphs for a year. When at last they decided to go, Circe told them to seek the soul of Teirisias to get advice on how to return home. Odysseus’s ship came to the intersections of the rivers of Acheron, Periphlegthon, and Cocytas.

He and his crew dug a pit in honor of Hades and Persephone. He poured a number of items into the pit, and several ghosts appeared. The ghosts included his mother, who had died while they were away, and a fellow shipmate who had died and was left unburied on Circe’s island. Odysseus finally spoke with the soul of Teirisias, who prophesied that all the crew would return to Ithica as long as they did not touch the immortal herds tended by the two daughters of Helius. If any animal were harmed, only Odysseus would return to Ithica but on a foreign ship. He also warned that Odysseus would return to a home filled with suitors for his wife Penelope. The ghost of Agamemnon appeared and told Odysseus of how he was murdered on his return home. He warned Odysseus and suggested to Odysseus to disguise himself and determine the situation at his home first so as to not fall into the same trap as he did. The ship returned to Circe’s island to bury their shipmate. Circe warned them about Sirens and about the wandering rocks that could shipwreck them.

She again reminded them not to harm the herds of Helius. Odysseus’s boat had to pass the island of the Sirens. Sirens sang beautiful songs which lured ships into rocks. The men filled their ears with wax and only Odysseus, who was tied to the mast, was able to hear the tempting songs. As they passed the island, Odysseus screamed to be free, but the men would not free him. The Sirens, not being able to get the men to succumb to their songs, threw themselves into the sea and were never heard from again. After the island of the Sirens, Odysseus steered his ship toward the Strait of Messina. In the strait was a whirlpool which sucked down ships. Odysseus ordered the crew to row hard toward a cliff. They were able to get by the whirlpool only to get attacked by a Scylla, a six-headed monster, who lived in the cliff. Scylla seized and ate six of the men from the ship. After surviving the whirlpool and the attack by the six headed monster, the crew of Odysseus’ ship were exhausted.

When Odysseus orderd them to row past the island of Thrinacia, they nearly mutinied. Odysseus gave into their demands and landed the ship at Thrinacia. He reminded the crew that no animals on the island were to be harmed because these were the herds of the daughter of Helius. The ship stayed on the island a month because the winds continued to blow to the south. Their food supply began to dwindle. One day while Odysseus slept, Eurylochus, the first mate, ordered the crew to kill some of the cattle for food. Odysseus was horrified when he awoke and saw what they had done. Helius, the sun god, demanded that the crew be punished. When the ship set sail again, Zeus sent a storm which killed all of the crew eccept Odysseus. Odysseus drifted on a few timbers from his destroyed ship. After nine days, he floated to the island of Ogygia. Here Calypso, daughter of the Titan Atlas, fell in love with Odysseus. She offered him immortality, but Odysseus refused.

He remained in her company for seven years, unable to get off the island. Even after seven years, he still wanted to return home to Penelope. Athena took Odysseus’s case before Zeus. She pleaded for him to be released from the island while Poseidon was away from Mount Olympus. Zeus agreed and sent Hermes with a message for Calypso to release Odysseus. Calypso unhappily accepted Zeus’ mandate and gave wood to Odysseus so that he could build a raft and return home. Poseidon was furious at Zeus for helping Odysseus, He sent a terrible storm to destroy Odysseus’s raft. Odysseus was saved by the sea goddess Leucotha (once the mortal Ino). She gave him her veil that kept him afloat until he reached the shores of Phoenicia. The King of Phoenicia provided Odysseus with a ship and retuned him to Ithica. Odysseus fell into a deep sleep and the sailors left him on the shore where he awoke disoriented. Athena greeted him. She warned him of the nobles who had gathered at his home in his absence.

They wanted to court Penelope and to assume Odysseus’s throne. Athena helped Odysseus sneak back into the city by disguising him as an old beggar. Odysseus met up with his son Telemachus and an old servant named Eumaeus. They returned to the palace, and Odysseus begged for food as he surveyed his opposition. He was ill treated by a nobleman named Antinous who tossed a stool at him. That night, Odysseus arranged a meeting with Penelope on the pretense that he had word of her husband. Penelope wanted to believe the beggar, but stated that she could wait no longer. She recounted the promise she had made to Odysseus. She promised Odysseus before he left for Troy that she would find a new husband if he did not return. She had held out for ten years but now planned a contest of strength and skill to settle the matter. The men in the contest would have to string Odysseus’ bow and shoot an arrow through rings in twelve axe handles. Penelope asked her servant to tend to the beggar’s needs and bid him a good night.

The servant Eurycleia recognized a scar on Odysseus’s leg and realized the beggar was Odysseus. He told the servant not to tell anyone he was home. The next day, Penelope held the contest for her hand in marriage. None of the nobles were able to string the bow. Odysseus, still disguised as the beggar, requested a turn and was granted it by Penelope despite the nobles’ protests. She then returned to her bedroom, not really caring who won the contest. Odysseus was able to string the bow and shoot an arrow through the handles in front of the unbelieving nobles. Odysseus then turned the bow on the suitors. Telemachus and two servants joined in the battled against the suitors. All the suitors were killed, and their female mistresses were all hung. When Odysseus presented hiself to Penelope, she did not believe it was him. She used a trick to determine if it was really him. She ordered their bed to be taken out of the bedroom. Odysseus had constructed the bed before he had left for Troy.

One of the bedposts was attached to a live olive tree still rooted in the ground. Odysseus was outraged, believing that someone had cut apart the post from the tree. At that moment, Penelope knew it was her husband who had finally returned from his long journey. Profile of Odysseus Profile of Odysseus Odysseus is a key character in Greek mythology legends including the Trojan war and the epic voyage known as the Odyssey. Watch this About.com video to learn more about this Greek hero. Show transcript Hide transcript Transcript: Profile of Odysseus Hi, I'm Zoya Popova for About.com, and today we're going to talk about Odysseus. Odysseus and the Trojan War Odysseus is a mythical Greek hero and a key character of the the Iliad and the Odyssey, as well as other Greek and Roman epic poems that recount the stories of the Trojan War. In that legendary war, Odysseus played a major part. At the outset, he was instrumental in recruiting Achilles, whose participation, according to the oracle, was essential for the Greeks to win the war.

Later in the campaign, Odysseus provided more prerequisites of Greek victory as dictated by the oracle—for example, fetching Neoptolemus, the son of the fallen Achilles, and obtaining the poisonous arrows of Herakles. Odysseus's chief strength was cunning intelligence, and nowhere was it more apparent than in the trick with the Trojan horse. After a 10-year siege of Troy, Odysseus suggested Greek troupes feign a retreat. Meanwhile, a group of men led by Odysseus concealed themselves in a giant wooden horse that was left at the gate of Troy. The Trojans rolled the horse into the city as a trophy, and in the night, the Greeks opened the gates from the inside. Odysseus's Voyage in the Odyssey After triumphing in the Trojan War, Odysseus began his voyage home. Early on, he and his crew were captured by the flesh-eating cyclops Polyphemus. Odysseus blinded him and escaped, but, in his spite, he told the cyclops his name. This brought upon him the wrath of the cyclops's father, Poseidon.

He cursed Odysseus to roam the sea for 10 years, losing all his crew. The famous highlights of that journey include the temptation of the sirens' song, when Odysseus bound himself to the mast of his ship to stop himself from coming to their call; the challenge of passing between the six-headed sea monster Scylla and the whirlpool Charybdis; and the capture of Odysseus first by the witch goddess Circe, and then by the nymph Calypso, both of which became enamored with him.Having successfully overcome all the challenges, Odysseus returned home to his wife and son. And this is it for us for today. Thank you for watching, and for more information, please visit About.com. About videos are made available on an "as is" basis, subject to the Terms of Use . Greek Mythology/Beasts/Cyclops/Polyphemus - Wikibooks, open books for an open world Greek Mythology/Beasts/Cyclops/Polyphemus Jump to: navigation , search Polyphemus (In Greek: Πολύφημος) was a cyclops portrayed in the Odyssey and the Aeneid.

After capturing Odysseus and several of his men, Polyphemus held them capture in a cave, along with the cyclops' sheep and goats. He sealed the cave shut with a massive stone. During the ordeal, Polyphemus killed and ate six of the sailors. On the second day, Odysseus made the cyclops drunk, claiming his name was "Noman", before five men drove a large sharpened stake into Polyphemus' only eye, blinding him. The cyclops called for help and other cyclops came to his aid; but when he said Noman had hurt him, the cyclops took it to mean that no man had hurt him, so they left him alone. The next day, when Polyphemus rolled away the stone to let out his flock, Odysseus and his men clung to the fur of the flocks underbelly. Checking the animals backs with his hands, Polyphemus did not find the men. Yet after they have escaped and were on their ship, Odysseus called to the blind cyclops and told him who he really was.

Polyphemus, in rage, hurled a great stone into the sea, nearly sending Odysseus' ship onto land. They sailed further out and again Odysseus mocked the cyclops. Yet Odysseus did not know that Polyphemus was the child of Poseidon , who would torment Odysseus' voyage. In the Aeneid, it tells of Aeneas' encounter with the cyclops, seeing his wounds: Polyphemus, lived on berries and roots, walked with a cane. He went to the sea often to wash out his eye-socket. One time, he heard the sounds of Aeneas' ships oars as they rowed nearby; but in fear, they hurriedly rowed away. SparkNotes: The Odyssey: Book 9 The Odyssey page 1 of 2 Summary Reluctantly, Odysseus tells the Phaeacians the sorry tale of his wanderings. From Troy, the winds sweep him and his men to Ismarus, city of the Cicones. The men plunder the land and, carried away by greed, stay until the reinforced ranks of the Cicones turn on them and attack.

Odysseus and his crew finally escape, having lost six men per ship. A storm sent by Zeus sweeps them along for nine days before bringing them to the land of the Lotus-eaters, where the natives give some of Odysseus’s men the intoxicating fruit of the lotus. As soon as they eat this fruit, they lose all thoughts of home and long for nothing more than to stay there eating more fruit. Only by dragging his men back to the ship and locking them up can Odysseus get them off the island. Odysseus and his men then sail through the murky night to the land of the Cyclopes, a rough and uncivilized race of one-eyed giants. After making a meal of wild goats captured on an island offshore, they cross to the mainland. There they immediately come upon a cave full of sheep and crates of milk and cheese. The men advise Odysseus to snatch some of the food and hurry off, but, to his and his crew’s detriment, he decides to linger. The cave’s inhabitant soon returns—it is the Cyclops Polyphemus, the son of Poseidon. Polyphemus makes a show of hospitality at first, but he soon turns hostile.

He devours two of Odysseus’s men on the spot and imprisons Odysseus and the rest in his cave for future meals. Odysseus wants to take his sword to Polyphemus right then, but he knows that only Polyphemus is strong enough to move the rock that he has placed across the door of his cave. Odysseus thus devises and executes a plan. The next day, while Polyphemus is outside pasturing his sheep, Odysseus finds a wooden staff in the cave and hardens it in the fire. When Polyphemus returns, Odysseus gets him drunk on wine that he brought along from the ship. Feeling jovial, Polyphemus asks Odysseus his name. Odysseus replies that his name is “Nobody” (9.410). As soon as Polyphemus collapses with intoxication, Odysseus and a select group of his men drive the red-hot staff into his eye. Polyphemus wakes with a shriek, and his neighbors come to see what is wrong, but they leave as soon as he calls out, “Nobody’s killing me” (9.455).

When morning comes, Odysseus and his men escape from the cave, unseen by the blind Polyphemus, by clinging to the bellies of the monster’s sheep as they go out to graze. Safe on board their ships and with Polyphemus’s flock on board as well, Odysseus calls to land and reveals his true identity. With his former prisoners now out of reach, the blind giant lifts up a prayer to his father, Poseidon, calling for vengeance on Odysseus. Analysis Books 9 through 12 are told as flashbacks, as Odysseus sits in the palace of the Phaeacians telling the story of his wanderings. These books thus give background not only to Odysseus’s audience but to Homer’s as well. Providing some of the richest and most celebrated examples of Odyssean cunning, they speak as much to the resourcefulness of the poet, who uses Odysseus’s voice to render a more complete picture of his hero’s wanderings, as to that of the hero himself.

The foreboding that Odysseus feels as he heads toward the cave, which seems to prompt him to take the wine along, foreshadows his upcoming encounter with Polyphemus and the need for trickery to prevail. Once Homer establishes the conflict between Odysseus and Polyphemus, he unveils Odysseus’s escape plan slowly and subtly: the significance of Odysseus’s blinding of Polyphemus becomes clear when Polyphemus lets his sheep out to graze the next morning; similarly, Odysseus’s curious lie about his name seems nonsense at first but adds a clever and humorous twist to the necessity of keeping the other Cyclopes from rescuing Polyphemus. Odysseus’s eventual revelation of his identity to Polyphemus ultimately proves foolish, and, because it embodies a lack of foresight, stands in stark contrast to the cunning prudence that Odysseus displays in his plan to escape from the cave. Though his anger at Polyphemus for devouring his shipmates is certainly understandable, and though Polyphemus’s blind rock-throwing fury eggs him on, Odysseus’s taunts are unnecessary.

By telling Polyphemus his name, Odysseus pits his mortal indignation against Poseidon’s divine vengeance. This act of hubris, or excessive pride, ensures almost automatically that Odysseus will suffer grave consequences. Indeed, his eventual punishment costs him dearly: Poseidon’s anger wipes away the very thing that he gains by cleverly obscuring his name—the safety of his men. The form that Odysseus’s revelation of his identity takes is interesting, as it represents the cultural values of ancient Greece. Odysseus doesn’t simply utter his name; rather, he attaches to it an epithet, or short, descriptive title (“raider of cities”), his immediate paternal ancestry (“Laertes’s son”), and a reference to his homeland (“who makes his home in Ithaca”) (9.561–562). This manner of introduction was very formalized and formulaic in Homeric Greece and should seem familiar to readers of the Iliad. Odysseus is here going through the motions of confirming his kleos (the glory or renown that one earns in the eyes of others by performing great deeds).

He wants to make sure that people know that he was the one who blinded Polyphemus, explicitly instructing Polyphemus to make others aware of his act. Like the heroes of the Iliad, Odysseus believes that the height of glory is achieved by spreading his name abroad through great deeds. 1 Polyphemus - definition of Polyphemus by The Free Dictionary Polyphemus - definition of Polyphemus by The Free Dictionary Also found in: Encyclopedia , Wikipedia . Pol·y·phe·mus (pŏl′ə-fē′məs) n. Greek Mythology The Cyclops who confined Odysseus and his companions in a cave until Odysseus blinded him and escaped. [Latin Polyphēmus, from Greek Poluphēmos, from poluphēmos, famous : polu-, much; see poly- + phēmē, saying, report; see bhā-2 in the Appendix of Indo-European roots.] Polyphemus (ˌpɒlɪˈfiːməs) n (Classical Myth & Legend) Greek myth a cyclops who imprisoned Odysseus and his companions in his cave.

To effect his escape, Odysseus blinded him Pol•y•phe•mus a Cyclops who was blinded by Odysseus. Translations Want to thank TFD for its existence? Tell a friend about us , add a link to this page, or visit the webmaster's page for free fun content . Link to this page: Xiphosurus polyphemus References in classic literature ? Bear in mind, however, that Neptune is still furious with Ulysses for having blinded an eye of Polyphemus king of the Cyclopes. View in context But," continued the wise Ulysses, "you must remember, my good friends, our misadventure in the cavern of one-eyed Polyphemus, the Cyclops If not, and if the inhabitants prove as inhospitable as Polyphemus, or the Laestrygons, then there will but half of us perish, and the remainder may set sail and escape.

If I am really awake," continued he, "then, in my opinion, we are on the point of meeting with some stranger adventure than any that befell us in the cave of Polyphemus, or among the gigantic man-eating Laestrygons, or in the windy palace of King Aeolus, which stands on a brazen-walled island. We would not turn back, though we were certain that the king of the Laestrygons, as big as a mountain, would sit at the head of the table, and huge Polyphemus, the one-eyed Cyclops, at its foot. It was a life-like picture of their recent adventures, showing them in the cave of Polyphemus, and how they had put out his one great moony eye; while in another part of the tapestry they were untying the leathern bags, puffed out with contrary winds; and farther on, they beheld themselves scampering away from the gigantic king of the Laestrygons, who had caught one of them by the leg. The Odyssey - Book Nine - Detailed Version Book Nine "I am Odysseus of Ithaca.

And here is my tale since setting out from Troy: Our first landfall was Ismarus , in the land of the Cicones . We sacked the town, killed the men and took the women captive. I was for putting out right then, but my men would not hear of it. Carousing on the beach, they feasted and dawdled while survivors of our plundering raised the hinterlands. The main force of the Cicones swept down on us in a black tide. These were fighting men, and it was all we could do to hold the ships until, outnumbered, we cut our losses and put back out to sea. And while we still grieved for our fallen comrades, Zeus sent a storm that knocked us to our knees. We rode it out as best we could. I might even then have rounded the southern cape and made for home had not a new gale driven us across seventeen days of open sea. We found ourselves at last in the land of the Lotus-eaters. These folk are harmless enough, but the plant on which they feast is insidious. Three of my men tasted it and all they wanted was more. They lost all desire for home.

I had to force them back to the ships and tie them down while we made our getaway. Next we beached in the land of the Cyclopes . We'd put in at a little island off their coast. And since they don't know the first thing about sailing they'd left it uninhabited, though it teamed with wildlife. We made a pleasant meal of wild goat, then next day I left everyone else behind and took my own crew over to the mainland. The first thing we saw was a big cave overlooking the beach. Inside were milking pens for goats and big cheeses aging on racks. My men were for making off with the cheeses and the lambs that we found in the cave, but I wanted to see what manner of being made this his lair. When the Cyclops -- Polyphemus was his name -- came home that afternoon, he blotted out the light in the doorway. He was as tall and rugged as an alp. One huge eye glared out of the center of his forehead. He didn't see us at first, but went about his business. The first thing he did was drag a huge boulder into the mouth of the cave. Twenty teams of horses couldn't have budged it.

Then he milked his ewes, separating out the curds and setting the whey aside to drink with his dinner. It was when he stoked his fire for the meal that he saw us. 'Who are you?' asked a voice like thunder. 'We are Greeks, blown off course on our way home from Troy,' I explained. 'We assume you'll extend hospitality or suffer the wrath of Zeus, protector of guests.' 'Zeus? We Cyclopes are stronger than Zeus. I'll show you hospitality.' With that he snatched up two of my men and bashed their brains out on the floor. Then he ate them raw, picking them apart and poking them in his mouth, bones and guts and all. We cried aloud to Zeus, for all the good it did our comrades. The Cyclops washed them down with great slurps of milk, smacked his lips in satisfaction and went to sleep. My hand was on my sword, eager to stab some vital spot. But I realized that only he could unstopper the mouth of the cave. We passed a miserable night and then watched the Cyclops make breakfast of two more of our companions. When he went out to pasture his flock, he pulled the boulder closed behind him.

It was up to me to make a plan. I found a tree trunk that the Cyclops intended for a walking stick. We cut off a six-foot section, skinned it, put a sharp point on one end and hardened it in the fire. Then we hid it under a pile of manure. When the Cyclops came home and made his usual meal, I spoke to him. 'Cyclops, you might as well take some of our liquor to savor with your barbarous feast.' I'd brought along a skin of wine that we'd been given as a gift. It was so strong that we usually diluted it in water twenty to one. The Cyclops tossed it back and then demanded more. 'I like you, Greek,' he said. 'I'm going to do you a favor. What's your name?' 'My name is Nobody,' I told him. It turned out that the favor he intended was to eat me last. But when the wine had knocked him out, I put my plan into effect. Heating the end of the pole until it was glowing red, we ran it toward the Cyclops like a battering ram, aiming it for his eye and driving it deep.

The thing sizzled like hot metal dropped in water while I twisted it like an auger. Polyphemus came awake with a roar, tore the spike from his eye and began groping for us in his blindness. His screams of frustration and rage brought the neighboring Cyclopes to the mouth of the cave. 'What is it, brother?' they called inside. 'Is someone harming you?' 'It's Nobody!' bellowed Polyphemus. 'Then for the love of Poseidon pipe down in there!' They went away, and Polyphemus heaved the boulder aside and spent the night by the open door, hoping we'd be stupid enough to try to sneak past him. Getting past him was the problem alright, but by morning I'd worked out a solution. Tying goats together with ropes of willow, I hid a man under each group of three. When it was time to let them out to pasture, the Cyclops ran his hands over their backs but did not notice the men underneath. Myself, I clutched to the underbelly of the biggest ram. 'Why aren't you leading the flock as usual?' asked Polyphemus, detaining this beast at the door and stroking its fleece.

'I wish you could talk, so you could point out those Greeks.' He let the ram go, and we beat it down to the ship as fast as our legs would carry us. When we were a good way out to sea, I could not resist a taunt. I called out, and Polyphemus came to the edge of the seaside cliff. In his fury he tore up a huge boulder and flung it at us. It landed in front of our bow, and the splash almost drove us back onto the beach. This time I waited until my panicked men had rowed a good bit further before I put my hands to my mouth to call out again. The men tried to hush me, but I was aquiver with triumph. 'If someone asks who did this, the name is Odysseus!' That brought another boulder hurtling our way, but this one landed astern and only hastened our departure. The Cyclops was left howling on the cliff, calling out to his father Poseidon for vengeance.

Question: What was the name of the Cyclops who captured Odysseus and was blinded by him when he escaped?
Answer: Polyphemus